Adventure's Out There!

Okay so SAPPORO.

First of all, getting here was a giant pain in the butt. My family and I drove all the way to New York, but then the flight was cancelled because of a typhoon in Tokyo. So I stayed with my friend Nick for the night, and we went off again in the morning.  The plane was Japanese, but the people who worked there only spoke English to me, even after I spoke Japanese. Ugh, here we go with the “all white people speak English” thing. We all had our own mini-tv with games and movies. I watched The Iron Lady, War Horse, and then some Japanese things. I played every single game, including Tetris and some language learning thing. I now know more French. Also that special about Black Holes with Morgan Freeman, which freaked me out. After almost 14 hours on a plane, we land in Tokyo only to find out that our flight to Sapporo may be turned around mid-flight if the weather was bad. Luckily, everything went fine and we landed in Sapporo.

I honestly didn’t feel any culture shock at all. I barely felt like I was in another country, although cars driving on the opposite side of the road was a little weird. Maybe I am just so used to traveling and adapting at this point.

But, after we had moved into the dorms temporarily, culture shock finally hit when I opened up a bath room door and failed, only to realize it was a sliding door. Also, there were slippers all over the entrance and the toilet was heated. Then I realized where I was…

I also used one of the smart toilets for the first time. I was afraid to hit any buttons the first time but the second, I went ahead and did it. Oh my gosh the spray! It was so weird yet so good. It took me a few times and a friend to tell me that there is a “lady parts” option. I wasn’t quite ready for that one…

So far I am not hating the food, although sometimes I just have to give up. I tried Nato, and I am never doing it again. Also I like their pork, soups, and noodles. Although one time the noodles were black as night…

I found the 100 Yen Store! I bought so many different candies and snacks and things. Things aren’t very expensive in Sapporo, so I am not paying so much for food, which is good.

I lived with Lauren from Etown and a girl I just met named Abby. I am happy to have been with them! There isn’t much group dynamic at all here. Although there were a few people I definitely am glad to have met.

The variety shows are amazing. I never really know what they are saying, but I have seen shows where they DRAMATICALLY guess where crab meat comes from with DRAMATIC MUSIC playing and DRAMATIC stares commencing, as well as a show where you can learn how to sew a hole in your shirt that is so big that all of your happy trail is showing. Earlier I was watching SEXY ZONE learn everything about curry ever and how I am an idiot if I don’t put my curry on the left side. Now I am watching some lady rock climb in a window? What is ever going on…

I am so excited to see Mio, Wakana, Erika, and Shuhei in Sapporo! Hopefully I can see Ayumi, Ayumi, Akina, Yusuke, and everyone one I have met too!

I moved into my host family’s house yesterday. We are faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from the school. It will take me at least an hour every day to get there. I have a big room, and I am out near mountains. That means hot springs and skiing are close! I live with a woman named Kumiko. Unlike last time, this host mother wants me to call her my her name and not “mom.” That is kind of sad. Also, there is no Wi-Fi, only internet through the living room. Also, she speaks some English and Spanish, so she would only talk to me using those, and although I asked her not to use English, she still uses way more Spanish than I would like. She just assumes I don’t know the Japanese with things such as time or direction, and if I didn’t hear she will immediately go back to Spanish or finish my sentences if I am too slow. Although this annoys me, I really don’t have the Japanese to argue right now, and I would rather hear important information in Spanish, anyway. This leads to sentences such as “at cinco y media breakfast o tabemasu.” So Spanish is back in my life, so it seems. For dinner last night, she made a empanada-like Japanese food.

I already seemed to weird out my host mother a few times. When she said I would be on the train for a half hour or so, she suggested I could do my homework. And I said, “or my makeup.” She was like, “AHHHH.”

Also the way I use my chopsticks is not pleasing to her…she keeps correcting me although I can use them fine my way.

And every time I yawn she mock punches me in the face. Yawning is not good…

She finds it INSANE that I don’t take a shower every single day.

Also, I just got served tea, although I don’t like it. “It’s delicious,” she says. Here we go…

I also wish I could directly translate everything because she just saw crabs and such on tv and said “Your most hated thing is here!” (I hate seafood.)

First day of school tomorrow~~and pictures too! Also my little day out today.